


Be My Best Friend for Christmas

by littlegraycat3



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-09 03:03:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5523026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlegraycat3/pseuds/littlegraycat3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrienette Christmas- In which Alya's gift to her is finally getting her to act upon her feelings for Adrien. Plagg loves cheese, and Adrien just really wants to make friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am terrible at summaries.... thanks for bearing with me

“It looks like Christmas threw up in here.”

“Oh come on, Alya, don’t be a spoil sport.” Marinette sighed and nudged a snowflake that hung from the ceiling.

Her room was decked out in the most festive decorations she could find or make. Red, green, and golden garland was strung around the edges of her room and wound around the metal railing of the stairs leading to her bed on the loft. A string of multicolored lights was tacked to surround each window around the room and hung around her bedposts. Her computer monitor was decorated with a single red bow on top. Various colored ornaments and candy canes alternated, settling on the various strings of garland.

“I’m not, I’m not. I love Christmas as much as the next person but isn’t this a little… much?”

“ _I_ don’t think so.” Marinette planted her fists onto her hips.

Alya snorted, touching a finger to a picture of Adrien that was tacked to the wall. A little paper Santa hat had been taped onto his head. A blush crept onto Marinette’s cheeks, a nervous laugh escaping from her lips.

“Well, isn’t garland supposed to go on a tree?”

“I’ll have you know that garland can be hung anywhere.”

“Candy canes are supposed to be _eaten,_ not for decoration.” Alya said as she plucked a candy cane from its perch on a string of green garland and began to unwrap it.

“No, Alya, don’t eat the decorations!” Marinette launched herself at her best friend.

Alya dodged and popped the candy in her mouth. “ _Anyways_ , have you talked to Adrien yet?” she asked, her speech muffled slightly from the candy cane.

Marinette froze, her face twisting in embarrassment.

“Oh Marinette. Come on, girl. You said you’d talk to him before winter break.”

Marinette’s head turned to the side, eyes downturned. A voice from below cut through the silence.

“Girls, dinner’s ready!”

“We should…” Marinette started towards the hatch that led to the lower floor, but Alya dashed past her and beat her to it. Her foot pressed down over the handle.

“You have to promise me you’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

Her bottom lip protruded into a pout, but she nodded her head anyway. 

Alya removed her foot, giving Marinette access to leave the room. Alya followed her down the stairs with a smile. “I really like the snowflakes, by the way.”

 

***

 

It was the last day before winter break. A Friday. The whole student body was buzzing as they entered the school that morning. Many teachers had planned small holiday parties for that day, so a few students held containers of sweets or gift bags in their hands accompanying their school bags. Snow fell slowly, collecting in the crevices of winter clothing and knitted hats.

Alya’s hand clapped down onto Marinette’s shoulder outside of the main school entrance on the front steps. Marinette jumped and Alya broke out in a chuckle.

“Hey, calm down, girl. Everything is going to go great.” When Marinette groaned, Alya cut her off and added: “I have faith in you.”

Alya’s other hand collided with Marinette’s other shoulder to spin her around. Marinette squealed in surprise and was about to scold her friend when her eyes locked with someone else at the bottom of the concrete stairs.

_Adrien._

Marinette felt her stomach twist in anxiety and her palms start to moisten. She heard one whispered phrase in her ear before the warmth of Alya’s hands left her shoulders and all she was left with was a wave of cold winter air.

“Good luck.”

_Thanks, Alya, I’m going to need it._

Marinette was Ladybug, for goodness sakes. Luck was in her blood. Her hand rested on her bag that was slung around her shoulder, feeling the slight pressure of Tikki silently cheering her on.

Adrien’s face brightened at the sight of Marinette and raised his hand to wave.

“Hi, A-Adrien.”

 _Damn._ Luck wasn’t going wasn’t going to rid her of her stutter.

Adrien didn’t seem to notice though as he bounded up the steps.

“Hey, Marinette. How are you?”

“I’m fine, t-thank you.” She smiled as she started to feel her face getting hot. “Yourself?”

“Pretty good, yeah. Are you ready for that test today in Physics?”

Her stomach did a flip. He was making conversation.

“Y-yeah I guess. I was studying all night last night but physics i-isn’t really my strong subject so who knows?” Her words tumbled out of her mouth rapidly, letting out a nervous laugh that concluded her rambling.

Adrien chuckled, bringing a gloved hand to his mouth. “Yeah. It’s going to be a killer exam. Nino and I were quizzing each other over the phone last night.”

Marinette smiled, feeling Tikki once again from inside her bag. She channeled her inner Ladybug. “Hey, maybe we could, you know, do some extra studying together before class starts. You can quiz me.” She internally congratulated herself for not stuttering.

His face brightened. “Yeah that’d be awesome. Let me just put my coat in my locker.”

Marinette considered her options: One, she could wait for him in the classroom, or two, she could walk with him to his locker. The Marinette before today wouldn’t have even gotten this far. It was time to be even braver.

“I’ll come with you!”

“Okay, sure.”

Marinette’s face broke into an even wider smile. Adrien leaned forward and opened the door, stepping aside for Marinette to enter first.

“Ooh, such a gentleman.” 

They both laughed and stepped inside, shaking out the snowflakes from their hair. Marinette took off her crimson beanie and smoothed down the hair that had gotten a bit tangled. It was slightly wavy from the moisture that the snow had provided, and it wasn’t tied in her signature twin ponytails.

Adrien was momentarily stunned at the sight. Had he ever seen Marinette’s hair down before? He resisted the sudden urge to reach out and touch her soft curls. A sheepish smile appeared on his mouth.

Marinette turned her head and locked eyes with him. She instantly shrunk back at the sight of him staring. “What?”

 _Oops._ Adrien’s smile disappeared as he noticed his mistake. “Sorry. I was just thinking.”

Marinette returned to her full height, biting her lip. “About what?”

 “Your hair looks really nice like that.” He felt the heat on his cheeks as he started walking forward down the hall.

Marinette’s eyes widened as she watched him walk forward in front of her, her own feet frozen to the tile. She was not prepared for that. She was getting luckier by the second.

“Are you coming?” Adrien asked. Marinette noticed he had stopped and turned around a few feet ahead of her.

She nodded and skipped forward, humming in agreement.  

 

Marinette was practically glowing when she entered her classroom slightly ahead of Adrien; an unwavering smile on her lips and a light dusting of rose on her cheeks. Alya raised her eyebrow and slid a small slip of paper in front of her friend as she sat down at her desk.

_How’d it go?_

Marinette chuckled at the familiar scrawl. She took out her pen and wrote back.

_It’s still going._

Alya’s face swiveled to look at Marinette just as Adrien was turning around in his chair, a packet of notes held in his hands.

“Okay, so did you want to ask me some questions, or should I ask you?”

“We can switch off. You go first” _handsome boy,_ her thoughts automatically tacked on. Marinette’s head was swimming with her new found confidence.

But luck had to run out at some point.

Adrien’s face grew red and both Alya and Nino had started laughing.

 _Oh no._ Had she really just said that out loud? Marinette’s smile disappeared as her hands flew up to her mouth. “I’m so s-sorry.” She squeaked. _Damn that stutter._ Adrien was going to hate her now. He was going to turn right back around in his seat and never speak to her again.

After a short moment, Adrien smiled, his breathy laugh dissipating the tension between them. “It’s totally fine.” He paused, glancing down at the paper in his hand. “What is the difference between power and energy?”

Her breath ran out in a rush. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding it. 

By the time their teacher sauntered into the classroom with a leather briefcase in her hand, Alya and Nino had joined the little study session, all taking turns asking and answering questions. There was some arguing about certain answers and why they were right or wrong, but nearing the end, they were all laughing and smiling despite the fact that they were studying for Physics.

 

Marinette stood up and handed her test to Ms. Mendeleiev, knowing that she was probably going to get full marks on it. She spun on her heel, sauntered back to her desk and spotted another little piece of paper sitting on her chair. She picked it up and read it without gaining attention from the teacher.

_Ask him to hang out over break._

“What?!” she whispered, a little too loudly than she had anticipated.

A few heads turned to look at her before realizing that it wasn’t anything worth their attention. The teacher was too busy writing all over tests with red pen to notice.

Marinette’s eyes darted around the room, checking for clearance before responding.

_Are you kidding? No way. He’ll laugh._

She handed the note back under the table. The response came quickly.

_Do you really think Adrien is the kind of person to laugh at something like that?_

Marinette considered Alya’s comment carefully. Sure, Adrien wasn’t the kind of pompous and arrogant model that you always hear about on gossip sites. But she didn’t really know enough about him to actually imagine what would happen if she did ask. Adrien was sweet and kind. He wouldn’t laugh… would he?

The approach of the sound of heels on the tile shook Marinette from her thoughts. A hand snatched the note from her desk. Marinette felt her face grow hot.

“Miss Dupain, I’m sure you’ll recall the first day of class when I specifically stated that passing notes will not be tolerated.” Ms. Mendeleiev spoke in a harsh whisper, her thin figure hunched over the desk.

Marinette nodded.

“And because of your frequent tardiness to my class, I’m afraid this offense will not go unnoticed. Please see me after class.” Ms. Mendeleiev straightened, taking one glance around the room and finding that half the class had paused their test taking to watch them. She cleared her throat. “Carry on.” The click clack of her heels made their way back to her desk at the front of the room.

Marinette buried her head in her hands. There was no doubt Adrien had heard all of that. How was he going to respect her after that catastrophe? Why would he ever want to spend time with someone like her?

She picked up her head to look at Alya. _Oops,_ Alya mouthed, shrugging her shoulders.

Marinette sighed and let her head fall back into the soft cradle of her arms.

 

Her punishment wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Ms. Mendeleiev gave her extra work to do over the break, which she could easily do sometime in the next couple weeks. Alya waited outside the classroom for her after everyone else had gone.

“Hey, girl. What’s the damage?”

They started down the hallway towards their next class.

“Just an essay.”

“Ooh, you got off easy.” Alya said.

Marinette shrugged. “Not really.”

Alya raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“Adrien probably thinks I’m an idiot. I have been messing everything up all day. It’s not even worth it to ask him about hanging out over break.”

“Hey,” Alya gripped Marinette’s shoulder, turning her so that they faced each other. “Don’t sweat it. I’m sure Adrien knows exactly how you’re feeling right now. We’ve all been caught by Ms. Mendeleiev at some point. And if he does think that way, then it’s his loss. You are an amazing human being and you have to show him that you’re better than this.” Alya smiled. “Now, go talk to him.” Alya pointed over Marinette’s shoulder.

Marinette’s eyes widened as she looked behind her. Adrien was standing by his locker, putting books into it and talking to Nino.

“You’ve got this.”

“I’ve got this.” Marinette repeated. She straightened her clothes and hair briefly before starting towards the boys.

Alya ran ahead of her and put her hand on Nino’s arm. “Hey can I ask you something?” No sooner than when Nino nodded, Alya dragged him away, giving Marinette a wink as they left.

“I’ll see you around, Adrien.” Nino said from a few feet away.

Adrien waved and closed his locker.

“Um, hi, Adrien.” Marinette said, holding up her hand in greeting.  

“Hey, Marinette. How was the test?”

“Oh, um, y-yeah.” She said before shaking her head and realizing that that wasn’t a proper answer. “I think I did really well. How about you?”

Adrien and Marinette started toward their next class. “Probably aced it, if I’m being completely honest. Physics is just one of those subjects that I understand pretty well.”

“That’s good.”

He nodded. There was a moment of silence with them just walking side by side. Marinette internally prayed that Adrien wouldn’t ask about the note-passing incident.

“Oh yeah. How did your meeting with Ms. Mendeleiev go?”

Marinette’s stomach sank. “Uh, not bad I guess. I have to write an essay.” Her voice came out in a squeak as she shrank back, preparing for the worst.

“Well that’s good. Ms. Mendeleiev is usually pretty harsh with her punishments.”

Marinette laughed, relief washing over her. “She must like me, then.”

Adrien turned his head to look at her. He smiled. “Of course she does. Everyone likes you.”

Her head shot a look at him in surprise, a blush creeping on her cheeks. She laid a finger on her lips in thought. “Not Chloe.”

He shrugged. “Well Chloe’s _Chloe_.”

She nodded as they came up to Miss Bustier’s classroom, realizing that there was never a better way to describe Chloe. Before Adrien could enter the room, Marinette lightly pawed at his shoulder. He turned back to her, waiting for her to say something. Marinette’s stomach fluttered. This was her moment. She was going to shine. For one day, she was going to be ladybug without the mask.

“Hey, I was thinking that we could hang out and spend some time together over the break.”

He nodded. “Okay, sure. I think that’d be fun.” A wide grin spread across his lips. “Here, I’ll give you my cell phone number.” He took out a piece of paper with a pen from his bag and scrawled across it. “Text me and we can plan something.”

She took the paper and gripped it in both of her hands, staring at the 10 digits written on it. “Okay. Thanks. I’ll text you tonight.” She said, tearing her eyes away and looking up at him.

He nodded, and together, entered Miss Bustier’s classroom.

 

***

 

All Adrien ever wanted was to get to know her. Every day, in school, he would watch her animated expressions and gesticulating hands and just wonder why she turned into a stuttering mess every time she stood next to him. Was there something wrong with him?

Nino was adamant that it was because she had a crush on him.

But _that_ couldn’t be it. _Could_ it?

But he also couldn’t ignore that _handsome boy_ remark.

 Then wouldn’t she be like every other fangirl that ever caught sight of him? _No._ Marinette was different. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he knew that she was different.

So when he finally got the chance to actually spend some time with the girl, he ran with it.

The second the door to his car was closed and he knew he had total privacy, he whipped out his cell phone and powered it up. In the same instant, Plagg flew out from inside his button-up.

“You got any cheese?”

“Not now, Plagg.”

“But I was quiet all day today. Doesn’t that deserve some kind of camembert-centered reward?” Plagg fiddled with his whiskers as he hovered in front of Adrien’s face. When Adrien didn’t answer, Plagg descended and sat on the phone screen. “What are you looking at anyway?”

Adrien swatted the kwami away, undoing whatever he had pressed while sitting on the screen. “Waiting for a text.”

“Oh yeah, from the designer girl?”

“Her name’s Marinette.”

“Yes, that’s right. But don’t you think it’s a bit early to be getting a text from the girl? She did say ‘to _night_.’”

“I know.” Adrien brought the phone closer to his face, as if that would make the message arrive faster. “I just can’t wait.” He was practically bouncing up and down in his seat.

“Calm down. Why are you so excited about this anyway?”

He didn’t answer right away. There were too many reasons. Marinette just seemed so kind. And funny. She seemed like the kind of person that loved watching sunrises and ate chocolate croissants with tea in the morning. Her voice was the consistency of honey when she spoke slowly and without a stutter. Adrien wanted nothing more than to explore every inch of Marinette’s personality. He wanted nothing more than to be her friend.

Before today, he was just too nervous to initiate it. She had been the one to step up before him.

He didn’t know how to say this to Plagg. He didn’t know how to put his feelings into words. “She makes me feel good.” He smiled at his lame response, while Plagg scoffed and flew down to sit on the leather seats.

“You know what makes _me_ feel good?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Plagg. I couldn’t _possibly_ have any idea what makes-“

“Cheese.”

Adrien surrendered. “I’ll get you some camembert when we get home.”

“Whee!” Plagg zoomed around the car, bouncing off the windows and leather seats. Adrien caught him by the tail and stuffed him into his shirt. They were pulling up to the mansion, anyway.

 

After a large helping of camembert that had been snuck out of the kitchen, Plagg lay on Adrien’s desk and patting his stomach. Adrien took his phone out of his pocket again and held it at arm’s length away from him. He fell backward onto his bed.

Making friends wasn’t Adrien’s strong suit. He had Nino, yes, but Nino just had that kind of personality where he can just elbow his way into someone’s life when they least expected it. When everyone gawked at him for being famous, Nino was there to treat him like a regular person.  Nino knew everything about Adrien and he didn’t even care about Adrien’s busy schedule or his overbearing dad. Adrien was very grateful that he had Nino.

When he was younger, he had Chloe, but he would never call Chloe a friend.

It suddenly struck him how little friendships he _did_ have. He lived in a big, empty house with countless empty rooms and no one to fill them with. He felt so small sitting in the midst of all the empty rooms and surrounded by servants that didn’t take the time to get to know him or become his friend. Even Natalie was always distant, always keeping her place. He was just so _lonely._  

He tossed his phone behind him, hearing the _plop_ of it hitting the mattress. He turned his head and glanced out the window on the far end of the room. The snow hadn’t stopped, but the flakes fell slowly and steadily.

His skin felt prickly and he rubbed at his arms. He glanced at Plagg, currently laying on his back in a cheese coma. He didn’t want to disturb his kwami in this moment of peace, but he also really needed to get out.

“Hey Plagg?” he was surprised at the hoarse and breathy voice that leaked from his lips.

Plagg stirred. “What?”

“Let’s go on patrol.”

 

Being Cat Noir was always a freeing experience for Adrien. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop on all fours, feeling the concrete beneath his fingers and the wind through his hair and cat ears. He didn’t have to worry about saying the right thing or always keeping his back straight. He didn’t have to smile perfectly every time. He could laugh, _really_ laugh. He could explore every nook and cranny of Paris and discover every little thing that made his city spectacular. He could stand on the top of the Eiffel Tower and watch the hustle and bustle of Paris below him.

He heard the soft padding of feet behind him.

And, of course, he had Ladybug.

“My lady.”

“Cat.”

He turned around to see her standing behind him with one hand on her hip.

Ladybug. Sassy, sarcastic, confident Ladybug. His partner was there for him. As Cat Noir, Ladybug was his best friend. 

He gave her his signature grin, showing every one of his white teeth, his eyes bright. Ladybug made him feel all right. He couldn’t be lonely if he had her.

“Paris seems quiet today. Well, besides the rush of the Christmas season.” Cat said, turning back around to once again glance at the city.

Ladybug stepped up beside him. “That’s good. I just hope the Christmas spirit is enough to keep Hawkmoth and his akumas at bay for now.”

Cat’s grin turned mischievous. “Yep. I bet civilians are _feline_ pretty good.”

Ladybug covered a giggle with her hand, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “I am so tired of your puns.”

“I’m _purr_ -ty sure you’ll never be tired of my puns.”

“Silly kitty.” She turned away, taking out her yo-yo. “Let’s call it a night.”

His face fell ever so slightly. “Yeah. I should get home.” Home wasn’t even the right word, but he didn’t even know what else to call it.

Ladybug seemed to pick up on the sudden tension in the air around her partner. She gently laid a hand on his arm. The gesture was small, but gave him some comfort. “Something wrong?”

He stared at her hand on his arm. A frown pulled on the corner of his lips, but he wouldn’t let it. He couldn’t let his lady see him like that. His smile was only a little forced when he met her concerned eyes. “No. I’m okay.” _You make me okay._ He almost added, but decided that this wasn’t the time.

She smiled. Oh, could he fill a dozen photo albums with that smile. “Okay then. See you.” She gave his arm one last squeeze before pulling away and leaping off the Eiffel Tower, her yo-yo carrying her across the rooftops.

He remained on the Eiffel Tower, watching her leave. Even after he couldn’t see her anymore, he just stood, looking out over Paris until the lights blurred together and the sound faded as the city went to sleep. The beeping of his ring shook him back to reality. He had to get back. Someone would probably realize he was gone at some point- or not.

He leapt and hopped down the metal beams down the length of the tower, then took off down the road. Some remaining shoppers and citizens pointed and waved. He waved back. He even stopped and said hello to some children along the way. Cat loved this attention. He loved spreading happiness and letting the city’s residents know that they were safe. That feeling was arguably the best thing that came out of his transformation.

The house was dark when he arrived back to the window to his room. He released his transformation and reached into his pocket for an extra piece of gruyere cheese for Plagg. After flying out of the ring, he landed on Adrien’s comforter and immediately started grumbling about being hungry. Adrien tossed the cheese in the air and, as if he weren’t tired at all, Plagg leapt up and caught it in his mouth.

“Well, you were out longer than usual.” Plagg said.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“What happened to waiting for that text from the designer girl?”

Adrien perked up and made a dash for his phone that was still lying near his pillow where he had thrown it. Unlocking it, he saw that, no, Marinette hadn’t texted him yet. Groaning, he fell backwards onto the bed, narrowly avoiding squishing Plagg in the process. Maybe she wasn’t going to text him.

“Nothing, I assume.”

“Plagg, shut up.”

“Well, _someone’s_ cranky.”

“ _Plagg._ ” Adrien lunged for the kwami, but Plagg slipped out of his grip and hovered halfway up to the ceiling.

“Okay, okay, sorry.”

Adrien sighed and lifted himself off of the bed. Maybe a night’s rest would be best. He had to get up early for a photo shoot in the morning, anyway. He got dressed in his pajamas and climbed under the comforter. He plugged in his phone to charge and laid it next to his pillow. Plagg settled on top of the screen, humming with the warmth of the charging battery. “’Night, buddy.”

“Goodnight, Adrien.”

Adrien closed his eyes, but couldn’t keep his thoughts from wandering. He saw Marinette from behind his closed eyelids, a smile plastered on her face while she moved her hands wildly, apparently explaining something that excited her. He could almost hear her voice.

His phone buzzed. Plagg shot upwards, the annoyance clear on his facial expression. Adrien glanced at the screen.

_Hey, sorry it’s so late, I was a little busy. I was wondering if you still wanted to hang out._

It was an unknown number, but Adrien knew it was Marinette by the message. He quickly registered her as a contact before responding.

_A: Of course I do. When were you thinking?_

_M: Well the bakery is kind of busy on weekends, so I won’t be able to get away until Monday._

_A: I have another commitment on Monday afternoon. How about Tuesday?_

_M: Yeah! That’s good for me._

Adrien sighed. This was finally happening. Before he could respond, another message popped onto the screen.

_M: And sorry for waking you._

He laughed. _A: Don’t be sorry. I was already awake._

 

***

 

Marinette was smiling like an idiot as she stared at the recent message from Adrien. She had been nervously trying to decide just how to form that text all afternoon. When she dropped back into her room after patrol, she decided that it was time for her to just go and do it.

“I told you he’d be okay with it. He totally likes you!” Tikki gushed from beside her.

“Or he’s just being nice.”

Tikki scoffed. “Marinette, you don’t give yourself enough credit. Who _wouldn’t_ like you?”

Marinette hummed, her attention still directed towards her phone. It buzzed again.

_A: Maybe I could meet you at your bakery at 1?_

“Tikki, what do I say?” She suddenly shot a look at Tikki, panic in her eyes.

Tikki giggled. “Just say _yes_.”

Marinette bit her lip, touching the corner of her phone to her still-smiling face. “Okay.” Her fingers flew across the screen.

_M: Sure. I’ll see if I can get some fresh cookies for us._

“Tikki, I’m so nervous.”

Tikki laughed again and flew up to Marinette’s face, touching a kwami hand to her cheek. “Don’t be. You and Adrien are already friends, right? You’re just getting to know each other a little more.”

Marinette nodded. “Alya’s going to want every detail.”

“Are you going to text her?”

“Probably. Not now, though. I’m seeing her on Sunday before she leaves for Strasbourg on Christmas Eve.”

“Does she have family there?”

“Yeah. Last year, her family came to Paris. They switch every year. Alya’s pretty excited.” She said as her phone vibrated once again.

_A: Okay! I’ll see you then!_

A giggle bubbled on Marinette’s lips as she fell backwards on her bed and kicking her legs in the air. She was going to spend time with Adrien. _Adrien._ On Tuesday. Four days away. She had so much to do to prepare. First priority: taking down the pictures on the wall. She had to secure Adrien’s schedule to the ceiling and change her desktop background on her computer. She’d have to worry about that tomorrow, though. She was much too happy right then.

“Hey, Tikki? Can you turn out the lights for me?”

A moment later, the main lights went dark. All that remained was the dim twinkling of the colored lights strewn around the room, leaving splashes of color on Marinette’s cheeks amid the blush that had bloomed there. Her smile was unwavering, even as she closed her eyes to sleep.

Neither teen could fall asleep for a while, their minds plagued with thoughts of each other.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette finally spend some time together. Marinette shows off her fabulous baking skills. And Cat Noir has a rough day fighting akuma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. Christmas Day was very busy for me and I got a nasty flu bug the day after which demolished my motivation.... But here it is, so I hope you enjoy! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tuesday couldn’t come faster.

For Marinette, the weekend was a blur of building-up nerves and running around for her parents while they tended to the bakery. Alya helped out a bit- both by calming Marinette’s racing thoughts and by measuring out flour for bread and pastries.

For Adrien, the weekend couldn’t be more agonizingly slow. His schedule was clear until Monday, where he had a sponsored event to go to for his father. His spare time was spent playing video games with Nino and trying to stop thinking. He needed to stop thinking. Thinking about Marinette. Thinking about Ladybug. Thinking about his father. It all had to stop. He wanted nothing more than to just skip right to Tuesday afternoon where he could leave all his responsibilities behind and just _be._ Be with Marinette. Forget who he was and just _be_.

Then he would spend Christmas with Nino, like he always did. He didn’t want _anything_ to ruin this week for him.

“Dude, you’re spacing out again.” Nino’s voice cut through his thoughts like a knife, bringing him out of his head. “Are you feeling all right?”

Adrien nodded. “I guess I’m just nervous about Tuesday.”

A look of understanding crossed Nino’s features. He paused the game they’d been playing. “Hey, it’s going to be fine. This is _Marinette_ we’re talking about. What could possibly go wrong?”

“Well, for starters, the bakery could catch fire.”

“Isn’t that a little extreme?”

“I could accidentally insult her or knock over something or say something inappropriate-“ Adrien paused and gasped, putting a hand on his chest and giving Nino a slightly panicked look. “What if she _hates puns_?”

Nino collapsed into the back of his chair in laughter. As his fit died down, he spoke in between chuckles: “I’m… pretty sure… that… _everyone_ … hates your puns, Adrien.”

Adrien reached behind him for a pillow and threw it at his friend’s face. “That’s not funny, Nino. This is serious.”

Nino caught the pillow and lifted himself a bit to store it behind him on the chair. “Okay, okay. So what if she hates puns? Does it really matter? She _adores_ you, Adrien. She’ll learn to love your puns too.”

Adrien couldn’t deny anymore that Marinette liked him. But he didn’t want to mess this up. He didn’t want to scare her away.

“You’ll just have to let me know how everything went.”

Adrien perked up. “Yeah! Christmas, right? Are we still…” Adrien trailed off when he noticed the sudden sour look on Nino’s face. “What?”

“Did I not tell you?”

Adrien and Nino had spent Christmas together since they met. His parents were kind enough to invite Adrien to their family gathering when they found out that Adrien usually spent Christmas alone. Most years, his father was out of town at Christmastime, on business or to attend a show. His father was never one for holidays, anyway; that was always his mother’s forte.

“We’re visiting my cousin for Christmas, this year.”

Adrien’s earlier enthusiasm disintegrated. “Oh.” He looked back down at his hands holding the controller. He gripped it a little tighter.

“Adrien, I-“

“It’s fine, Nino. I’m used to it.” _Shit._ He hadn’t meant for that last bit to slip through.

“What do you mean, ‘used to it?’”

He gritted his teeth. “Just drop it, Nino. Let’s keep playing.”

Nino hesitated before unpausing their game. 

 

Adrien stood only a few steps away from the bakery, frozen to the concrete sidewalk. He wasn’t exactly sure what would happen and it suddenly struck him how quickly he’d jumped into this. They hadn’t even made a concrete plan. Were they going to go out for the day? Maybe they would just stay in and play video games. Did Marinette even like video games? He didn’t want to be rude or unintentionally pressure her into something she didn’t want to do. He took one large breath and started down the street again. Then he found himself standing outside the bakery, the golden script at eye level on the glass door. He pushed it open, hearing the light tinkle of a bell as the door swung, and was instantly hit with a wave of vanilla and chocolate with a hint of cinnamon. He was made aware of the plethora of pastries lining the white and gold counters.

“Welcome! May I help you?” A shorter woman from behind the counter with bobbed dark hair lifted her face toward the door with a warm smile on her face.

“Uh, actually, I was looking for Marinette.”

Her face twisted in concentration for a moment before it lit up with recognition. “Oh! You must be Adrien. Come in, come in!” She turned around and shouted behind her: “Tom! Mind watching the counter for a bit?”

A large man with brown hair and a mustache with bits of gray in it walked out into the shop, flour dusting his red cheeks and blue apron. A smile bloomed on his lips. “Oh, hello!”

Adrien lifted his hand in a sheepish wave. Tom stepped out from behind the counter and stuck his hand out. Adrien took it, and Tom’s fingers closed around Adrien’s, engulfing his hand almost completely. Tom gave one firm up and down motion before releasing him.

“Come on, dear, let me take you upstairs.” The woman waved her hand, gesturing for him to follow.

“Thank you for having me in your home, Madame Dupain.”

“Please, this is a friendly household. Call me Sabine.”

Adrien smiled and followed Sabine up the stairs to their main living area. He was momentarily taken aback by the sheer amount of pink. From the soft pink of the sofa in the sitting room, to the kitchen tile, cabinets and shades on the windows. He noticed a lit Christmas tree covered in ornaments pressed against the open window next to the television in the sitting room.

“Marinette! Your friend is here!” Sabine shouted. There was some banging and shuffling from above before a trap door on the ceiling above the kitchen opened and Marinette stumbled down the stairs in a rush.

“S-sorry I wasn’t watching the clock I was just working on something and-“ She paused for a short breath. She had been speaking a mile a minute, the words molding together into one almost incoherent ramble.

“Slow down, sweetheart.” Sabine warned, giving an affectionate ruffling of Marinette’s hair before retreating back to the bakery. “Call me if you two need anything.”

“What were you working on?”

Marinette’s cheeks flushed and her fingers knotted together in front of her chest. “I-it’s not really important.”

“Of course it’s important. Do you mind if I take a look?”

“I wouldn’t want to bore you.”

“Marinette, I’m a model. This stuff is very interesting to me.”

She smacked her forehead with her palm. “Oh, right, sorry. Sorry.”

“Hey, don’t be sorry. You did nothing wrong.”

They stood there in silence for a moment before Marinette spoke up, scratching her temple with her forefinger. “So, we should…“

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

“Okay. Follow me. My room is upstairs.”

He worried for a second that he was making her feel uncomfortable. But then a smile was on her face and she was turning around with a spring in her step and bouncing up the stairs as if the awkwardness wasn’t even in existence. Her excitement was infectious and he couldn’t help but smile to himself as he took the stairs two at a time just one breath behind her.

Adrien’s head popped up through the opening and he looked around the room. He was once again hit with the sight of pink. The walls and the chaise lounge was a baby pink with white polka dots, the parasol and the desk chair was a darker magenta and decorated with lighter pink flowers. Woven into the sea of pink were splashes of the red, green, and gold of Christmas decorations and strings of Christmas lights.

“I’m guessing you’re really excited for Christmas?”

She blushed and her arm automatically moved to rest behind her head. “Umm, yeah, you could say that.”  

He took a paper snowflake in between his forefinger and thumb, inspecting the handiwork. The design was intricate, perfectly symmetrical, with flowers and stars. “Did you make these?” He looked over at her. Her face was red and she was now looking down at the floor, playing with her fingers in front of her.

“I did.”

“These are so cool!”

She looked up and met his eyes. “Thank you.”

“You’re so artistic and creative, Marinette. I wish I had an ounce of the talent that you have.”

A smile spread on her lips and she started to laugh softly. “All it is is practice. I’ve been doing things like this ever since I was little.” She started toward her desk, where her sketch book, sewing machine, and a mound of multicolored fabric were resting. She picked up the sketch book and flipped it open.

“What made you start designing?” Adrien watched her as he sat down on the chaise and crossing his legs, pretzel style.

Her fingers stopped rifling through the book and she looked up. “I’ve always had an interest in clothes. Even when I was little, I would refuse to let my mother pick my outfit for the day. I loved pairing new things together and sometimes making risky decisions.” She paused and giggled with her eyes closed. “And one day, I thought,” she paused again, raising her finger into the air “‘you know, someone has to make the clothes, why not me?’” She shrugged. “And since then, I learned how to sew and started making my own designs. My mother signed me up for some classes on how to sew clothes. Both my parents were my models at some point. They were always so supportive.”

Adrien sensed that she was finished and spoke softly. “That’s really great, Marinette.”

She smiled and walked to him, sitting down on the chaise next to him. “Here’s what I’m working on now.”

He looked at the sketch book she had placed in front of him. It was a spring dress with what looked like flowery lace lining the bottom hem and the neckline. She had scribbled along the sides of the page with little notes in seamstress jargon that made no sense to Adrien, but he admired it immensely. In the back of his mind, he wished that he were as passionate about something like Marinette was. She seemed to have her life planned out. She had something worth living for.

He reached out and stroked the page with his fingertips, light, so as not to smudge any of the pencil marks. “It’s beautiful.” He felt her shift position beside him.

“Thanks. I was actually just picking out fabric earlier today.” She gestured to the pile of folded pieces of fabric atop her desk. “And I kind of forgot you were coming.” She laughed. ‘ _More like distracting myself so I wouldn’t burst,’_ She thought to herself.

Adrien glanced around the room again, admiring the lights and the garland. In his mind, he pictured the inside of his own house and realized that it wasn’t nearly as decorated as hers. There was one string of lights circling the columns on the outside of his manor, but nothing on the inside. Not that he knew, anyway. It wasn’t like he made a point to walk around, inspecting every inch. Maybe his father had decorations inside of his office. He shook his head. No, that wasn’t likely. His father wasn’t one for Christmas decorations.

“Hey, Marinette?”

“Hmm?” she hummed, taking back her sketch book and getting up to place it on the desk once again.

“Can you teach me how to make snowflakes like these?”

 

Marinette spent the next five minutes digging through her drawers for construction paper. She spent the next five minutes demonstrating for Adrien how to make one. In the next five, Adrien had tried and failed to copy her. Laughing, they butchered the paper with scissors, sprawled on the floor and lying on their stomachs. They attempted to make interesting designs and eventually ran out of white paper. Then they switched to red and green.

Marinette took a black marker from one of her drawers and started drawing polka dots onto her red snowflake. She smiled and sat up, holding it out in front of her.

“A Ladybug snowflake?” Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded, setting her creation down and taking a green snowflake. She then drew cat ears and whiskers in the center of it. “And a Cat Noir snowflake.”

Adrien felt the heat creep up his neck and cheeks. “Why?”

“Well, the heroes of Paris need a little Christmas cheer too, don’t you think?” She stood up and walked over to the window. Taking a piece of tape from the desk, she stuck the snowflakes next to each other on the window. “Maybe Cat will see it.”

“Just Cat?”

“Uh, well Cat’s a little underappreciated. It’s mostly Ladybug that’s in the spotlight.”

Even though her back was toward him, Adrien noticed the redness on the tops of her ears. He stood and followed her to the window, stopping with just centimeters of empty space in between their shoulders.

“Ladybug gets all the credit, the headlines, the news coverage. People seem to overlook him a bit, you know?” Marinette said softly.

Adrien reached up and gently laid a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. Her face turned to look at his hand then glanced up to meet his eyes.

“I’m sure he’ll see it.” Adrien assured.

A soft smile graced her thin pink lips. Warmth spread within his chest. He had the sudden urge to just lean forward a bit… and at the same time, he wanted to jump out the window and run away. He turned his head to glance out the window again. His inner cat screamed for him to bury his head in the space between her neck and shoulder. Sometimes Adrien was surprised at the feline behaviors that leaked through even without the mask. His hand dragged across her upper back, settling on her other shoulder, pulling her into a makeshift hug. That would have to do.

She laughed and Adrien’s heart swelled. He could listen to that laugh all day. She was so warm. Everything about her was warm. Her laugh, the dusting of red on her cheeks, the dim Christmas lights around the room. He couldn’t remember a time when a person or a place made him feel so relaxed, like he could just curl up in a ball and stay there forever.

His eyes widened as he realized just how close they were standing next to each other. He peeled his arm back and shrunk away, taking one full step back. He tried avoiding her eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean… to make you… uncomfortable.”

“Hey, it’s fine.” She reached out to touch his arm, then seemed to decide against it as she pulled it back. “Something wrong?”

He was quiet for a moment, as if trying to determine if he was okay or not. Normally when asked that question, he’d shrug it off, no matter what he was feeling. But Marinette was so kind. And even though they’d only spent a couple hours together, he felt like he could say anything to her.

“I-it’s just…” he trailed off, looking toward the mess of paper snowflakes on the floor. “I don’t really have any decorations in my house for Christmas. It’s kind of empty on the inside. And I thought… maybe…” he stopped, wondering if he’d said too much.

Marinette moved and crouched next to the snowflakes, gathering them all in her arm. She made her way back to the window and held them out to Adrien. “Here. You can hang them all up in your house.” She said with a smile. “I can’t imagine living in a house without Christmas decorations. You don’t deserve that at all, Adrien.”

He felt the heat on his face again as he took the snowflakes in his hands. His eyes flicked up to meet hers. “Even the ones you made?”

She hummed in agreement, giving her head a little nod. “They’re yours.”

Before he could say anything, a little knock interrupted them. The trap door opened a crack and Sabine’s face could be seen beneath it. “Marinette? Sorry, but could you do a favor for me? The bakery has gotten busy and I still have to make cookies for Miss Blanchet’s party. Would you mind baking them for me?”

“Sure, Mama.” She said. Then, turning to Adrien, she said: “You don’t mind, do you?”

He shook his head. “Do I get to help?”

“Of course.”

A wide smirk spread across his face as he put the snowflakes on the chaise and then followed Marinette through the trap door and down the stairs.

 

Adrien was hopeless in the kitchen.

He figured that out not two seconds after they started gathering ingredients. He followed Marinette around the kitchen as she pulled different things out of the cabinets without even _looking_ at a recipe. Adrien didn’t know anything about making cookies or what went in them. He settled for pulling up a chair and sitting in it backwards, his arms on top of the back of the chair, creating a cushion to rest his chin. He watched as Marinette took out bowls and utensils, waiting for her to tell him what to do.

“So…” she started, her back still turned to him. “Do you do much baking at home?”

“Uh, not really. My father has a pretty large kitchen staff, so I never really get the chance. My mother used to be a master in the kitchen though.”

“Used to? Does she not cook anymore?”

He froze. “Well… oh how do I say this? My mother isn’t around anymore.”

She paused and looked over her shoulder at him. “Oh, Adrien. I’m so sorry.”

“She disappeared a long time ago. One day she was there, then she was gone the next.” There was a certain edge to his voice. He remembered that day as if it had happened last week rather than almost eight years ago.

Marinette turned around fully and rested her hip on the counter behind her. “Are you okay?”

Adrien grimaced. _There was that question again._

The look did not go unnoticed by Marinette. “It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it if you’re not comfortable.” Her voice was smooth, calm. Just the simple statement was enough to relax him.

“She loved being in the kitchen. Breads, casseroles, cakes, cookies, she made everything under the sun. She always had snacks ready for me at three o’clock on the dot every day when I was done with lessons. Every night, she insisted on helping the cooks with dinner. She just loved doing it.” Adrien paused, feeling his eyes becoming a bit misty. He turned his head down to the floor, hoping Marinette wouldn’t notice. She was still standing by the counter, giving him distance, listening intently. “I used to watch her sometimes. When I was six, she told me she’d teach me someday, when I was older.” He spotted a loose thread on the sleeve of his sweater and suddenly became very interested in picking at it. “After she left, I guess I just never got the chance to learn.”

Marinette was quiet for a moment, watching him pull on his sleeve. “Do you wanna learn now?”

He looked up at her to find her smiling softly. His small nod was enough confirmation from her.

“Okay!”She whipped back around to the counter. “The first thing you need to know is that baking cookies is a _science_.” The enthusiasm in her voice was enough to lift his spirits already.

“Oh yeah?” He lifted his head off of his arms.

She looked over her shoulder at him while dumping a stick of butter into a bowl. “Mhm. You want them to be puffy, not too crisp, not too soft. And don’t use cold ingredients.” She swept around over to him with the bowl in her hands. “See this butter? Room temperature.”

He smiled. “I see.”

“You have to cream the sugar and butter together first.” She paused and huffed, waving her free hand in the air next to her face. “Most people just use white sugar, but my mom’s special-family-recipe-cookies have brown sugar in them too.” She leaned in close to his face. “She says it adds moisture.” She whispered.

Adrien couldn’t believe how fast she had switched the mood around. In a matter of seconds, she’d flipped his thoughts from his mother to sweetness and chocolate and Marinette’s voice and turning his insides into jelly. Was she doing this all for him? To make _him_ feel better? He watched as she pulled back to connect the bowl with its companion, a pink stand mixer that matched the rest of the kitchen, and flipped the switch that started the machine. The only other person in his life that had ever considered his feelings was Nino.

“Here, do you know how to crack eggs?” She asked, turning back around to face him.

“ _Do I know how to crack eggs,_ what do you take me for, Mari?” He said playfully, flinging his arms out in front of him.

Marinette blushed at the new nickname as she handed him a smaller bowl and an egg. “Show me how it’s done, then.”

Taking the challenge, he stood from his chair. Setting the bowl on the counter, he made an attempt at cracking the egg on the side of the bowl. Nothing happened. ‘ _This has to be some heavy duty egg.’_ He thought to himself as he applied more force. Upon impact with the bowl, the egg completely shattered, leaving bits of shell and raw egg in the bowl as well as on the counter.

Marinette burst into a fit of giggles, not trying hard enough to hide them behind her hand.

“Not fair, you purposely gave me the hardest job.” Adrien couldn’t help but join her with his own laughter.

She took the bowl, placed it in the sink, and grabbed a damp towel to wipe the counter clean. “Watch the pro.” She said. Taking a new bowl and two eggs, one in each hand, she cracked them simultaneously. Both yolks dropped into the bowl as she spread the shell apart with her fingers.

Wide-eyed, Adrien looked at her with awe. “Woah, what? How did you do that?”

She discarded the shells into the nearest trash can. “You’re forgetting I work in a bakery.” She walked back to the counter and dumped the eggs into the butter/sugar mixture.

 

The cookies had been portioned and were in the oven when Marinette and Adrien were sitting cross-legged on the couch in front of the tv, munching on some pastries from the bakery. Tom had snuck away from his baking downstairs to give them some snacks, fresh from the oven.

Ripping a bite off of a chocolate croissant, Adrien turned to Marinette. “You’re really good at baking.”

She raised her eyebrow. “Yep. As soon as I could walk, I had a whisk in my hand.”

He laughed. “Do you ever think about inheriting the bakery when you’re older?”

She reached for a macaron in the box that rested in between their spots on the couch. Popping it into her mouth, she chewed thoughtfully before answering. “I love the bakery. I really do.”

He could sense the hesitation and uncertainty in her voice. “But?”

“But I love designing too. And I can’t do both. They both demand so much of my attention and I need to pick one.”

“Do you like designing better?”

She shot a look at him. “Well, kind of.” Sighing, she fell back deeper into the couch cushion. “I just feel like my parents are _expecting_ me to take over the bakery, you know?”

Adrien nodded. “Have you talked to them?”

“Not really.”

“Why not?”

Her expression softened. “I don’t know.” Her breath rushed out in a huff. “I’m just afraid of what they’ll say. I have a good relationship with my parents. We love each other. But… I don’t want to disappoint them.”

“Fashion design isn’t a disappointing career, Marinette.”

She let out a breathy laugh, then slid her hand over her hair, hooking her finger around one ponytail. “Yeah. I don’t even know why I’m so worried about bringing it up.”

“You should. I think they’d understand.”

“Thanks, Adrien.” Looking up at him, she reached for another macaron and threw it at him. He caught it in his hand and deposited it into his mouth with a wide grin on his face. “Come on. Let’s check on the cookies.”

 

***

 

_The Christmas season was always the busiest. And most stressful. For the assistant to the owner of Paris’ leading corporation, the Christmas season meant extra odd jobs to do in a shorter amount of time. In the last week, she’d been assigned to do so many seemingly pointless things from reading random documents to picking up countless items, to bringing the car around to the front of the building._

_It was tiring, to say the least. And one day, she’d had enough._

_“I don’t see the point to all this! You’ve asked me to do a trillion different things and expect them to be done like_ that _.” She snapped her fingers. “It’s Christmas, you shouldn’t push your employees like this.”_

_Her boss looked her in the eyes with and edge. He wasn’t having this. “If you feel that way, then you should leave.”_

_She stomped her foot, the heel clacking loudly on the tile. “Are you_ firing _me?”_

_He nodded and waved his hand, excusing her. “You’re relieved of duty.”_

_“On Christmas Eve? You’re firing me on_ Christmas Eve _?”_

_“Is it Christmas Eve already? Wow, time sure flies. Happy Holidays, then. Don’t forget to leave your company badge on your desk.”_

_She huffed and stormed out of the office._

_Before she could unclip the badge from her jacket pocket, a voice entered her mind._

_“Hello, Multitasker. My name is Hawkmoth. I can help you get back at your uncaring boss. I just need you to do a little favor for me.”_

_“Yes, Hawkmoth.”_

***

 

It was Christmas Eve in the Dupain-Cheng household and everything was bustling. The bakery was packed all day, despite being a Thursday, and Marinette barely had any time to breathe in between taking care of customers and helping her father bake. Having gotten away from the chaos for a few seconds, she checked her phone to find a new text from Adrien.

_A: What did you say your mom used in the cookies to make them moist?_

Marinette laughed. The boy had been spending the last two days practicing his baking skills in his own kitchen and texting her with many updates on how he’d been progressing. She furiously typed a response before returning to the bakery once again to help her parents.

It hadn’t even been a few minutes before a radio announcement caught her attention. She crossed the kitchen to turn the knob to hear the broadcast more clearly.

“Another dangerous criminal has taken to the streets of Paris. Where are Ladybug and Cat Noir?”

That was all Marinette needed to hear before she dashed from the kitchen into the bakery where her mother had been working the counter.

“Mama? Can I take a break?”

She didn’t take her eye off of the customer she was helping when she said: “Sure, dear. You’ve worked hard all day.”

“Thanks, Mama!” She leaned down a bit to kiss her mother on the cheek before running through the kitchen and up the stairs to her room.

Once the trap door had been secured, she alerted Tikki by presenting her a cookie to keep her energy in top condition. Once the cookie had been devoured, Marinette smiled and initiated her transformation. “Spots on!”

 

“My lady!” Cat Noir greeted her as he landed beside her on one of the rooftops of Paris. “Any idea where the akuma could be?”

“Not yet.” Ladybug glanced around the city for a moment before turning her head toward a crashing sound a few streets away. “But I’m pretty sure the akuma had something to do with that.”

They both took off running toward the sounds, leaping from rooftop to rooftop in sync before coming across a road with overturned cars and fallen streetlights.

“Will you pick up that call for me?” A lilting voice said from below them. Not a second after the woman spoke, she had uprooted a payphone from the cement and thrown it with a great strength. It landed with a crash a hundred feet down the street.

“ _Me-ouch_ that doesn’t look good.”

Ladybug ignored the pun and jumped off the roof, using her yo-yo to bring her to the ground. “Was it me you were calling?” She said, advancing on the woman. She stood tall, swagger in her words and her steps as she spun her yo-yo threateningly in front of her.

The woman growled. “I am the Multitasker.”

“Well, now that’s not a _paw_ -sitively clear name.” Cat leapt down beside Ladybug. “I don’t see you doing more than one thing at once.”

At the remark, the akuma lifted her arms. There was a glowing light that momentarily blinded both heroes and then the akuma split into two identical copies of itself.

“Oh.” Cat said and Ladybug visibly stiffened.

The akuma laughed and divided into more multiples of itself, each one flying in a different direction.

“Pick up something for me at the store.”

“Make some coffee.”

“Read this contract, will you?”

They all shouted different commands at the same time and then ceremoniously throwing various objects at the heroes. Cat Noir ducked as a leather handbag was thrown at his head. Ladybug surged forward, interrupting one of the akumas mid-throw and engaging in a hand-to-hand battle.

“Just finish off as many as you can!”

“I’m good with that plan.” Cat said as he threw a punch at one of the copies as it came near him.

The more objects that had been thrown, the more Ladybug noticed a pattern that connected each object to the shouted statement. With one last punch, the copy she had been battling with erupted in a cloud of black bubbles. She whirled around. “Cat! When she says a command, she’ll throw an item related to what she’s saying!”

Cat grunted, having taken a punch to the gut. He nodded before using his baton to knock out the copy. It disintegrated into another cloud of black bubbles. A shouted command directed their attention.

“Bring the car around, will you?”

A short second later, a large SUV was hurtling straight for them.

_It’s heading for Cat._ Ladybug thought as she examined the path of the car. She ran to him to pull him out of the way.

“Cataclysm!” Cat shouted, his arm outstretched. The moment the car touched his hand, it dissolved and bits of metal and glass clattered to the pavement. “That was a close one.” Cat said before turning to battle another copy.

Ladybug turned, relieved that Cat had saved himself. Another copy was on her tail, so she punched and shoved until it evaporated with the rest of its defeated copies.

A minute of heated battling later and Ladybug heard it again.

“Bring the car around, will you?”

“Answer that call for me.”

The commands echoed from opposite ends of the street. Ladybug whirled around to see Cat leaping up to avoid a flying payphone. While he was in the air, the thrown car flew towards him from behind.

_Oh, no._ “CAT!” Ladybug screamed, hoping to catch his attention in time.

His eyes flicked towards her before the car caught him in the back and dragging him to the ground. Cat yelped on impact, earning another scream from Ladybug. She turned back and punched her newest copy square in the jaw. The moment it dissolved, she whipped back around and ran to Cat. She wasn’t aware of the sudden quiet from the Multitasker.

She knelt next to the fallen car, spotting Cat’s arm that was reaching out from under it. The car had landed wheels-down, so at least Cat wasn’t being crushed, but he was definitely hurt. She grasped his arm and pulled him out from under the car. She picked up his head and placed it in her lap, smoothing down the blood-soaked hair to reveal a nasty gash in his forehead.

“Give me the Miraculous.”

Ladybug whirled around and looked up at the form towering above her. The copies were rushing towards it and merging with the original with a flash of light.

“No!” She clutched Cat closer to her chest. “Go away!” Her voice broke, which only fueled the akuma’s rage.

“ _Give me the Miraculous_.” The akuma said with more force as it grasped Ladybug by the collar of her suit. She screamed as Cat left her hands, his head thumping on the pavement.

Ladybug struggled against the akuma’s grip, trying to wrench its hands off of her. The akuma’s other hand came up to cup the side of her face, turning it to get a good look at her earrings. Ladybug’s mind raced. This wasn’t happening, _no, Cat needed her why couldn’t everything just_ stop _right now._ She and Cat would lose their Miraculous if she didn’t think of something. Every time she let go of the akuma’s grip on her, her throat would burn as the akuma squeezed it. She couldn’t reach her yo-yo. She couldn’t use lucky charm.

She didn’t need to.

A rock had been hurled through the air and hit Multitasker square in the side of the head. Ladybug’s head swiveled to look at who had thrown it.

“That’s right, does that make you, angry? Huh, baddie?”

“Alya, what are you doing?” Ladybug screamed. No, no, no, Alya was supposed to be in Strasbourg. She wasn’t supposed to be here. She could get herself hurt.

Alya threw another rock from the stash she had held in the cradle of her arms.

“Stop that!” Multitasker shouted.

“Oh yeah? Make me!” Alya threw one more rock before turning around and running.

Multitasker loosened its grip on Ladybug, causing her to drop to the ground in a heap. Ladybug heard a sinister voice as an outline of a butterfly appeared on Multitasker’s face. “No! The Miraculous!” The Multitasker ignored Hawkmoth as it pursued Alya.

Ladybug watched it go, her breath heavy, massaging her sore throat. She heard a groan and the shifting of Cat trying to move. “Lady…bug?” His voice was tired and raspy, as if it took all of his energy just to get one word past his lips.

She turned to him. “Hey, shh, it’s me, I’m here.” Ladybug whispered, pulling him to her.

His fists clenched. “I-I’m sorry, but… it’s…it’s up to… you, now.” He grimaced, barely able to get his words out.

“Don’t say that. You’re fine.”

Cat attempted to lift his arm, but gasped as the pain shot up and down his body. His heavy breathing quickened. “I- I…I’m scared, Ladybug.” He managed to whisper between breaths.

Her heart was torn right in two at the statement. “Don’t be scared, I’m here. Let’s get you to a hospital.” She made a move to stand before Cat’s other arm swung around and gripped her arm.

“Ladybug… Wait, I… I- I love you.” The words were quiet, barely a whisper, and Ladybug watched as Cat’s emerald eyes drifted closed.

“No, no, no, no, no, Cat, stay with me.” She desperately searched her thoughts for a solution. Then she remembered Lucky Charm. Using one arm to support Cat, she used her other one to take the yo-yo from its resting place at her hip. ‘ _Please, please, please give me something for Cat,’_ she thought as she threw her yo-yo up in the air. There was a pink flash before an item dropped down into her hand. A long strip of Ladybug-print cloth. She didn’t have to strategize to know how to use this. She shifted Cat on her lap and used both hands to wrap the cloth around his head, stopping the bleeding from the gash in his head.

He stirred, gasping, tears prickling the corners of his green eyes.

“Come on, let’s get you to a hospital.”

“But- but the akuma.” Cat said, wincing from the effort.

“You’re more important.”

He scoffed- well, what seemed to be a scoff in his weakened state. “I’m really not… J-just go.”

“I can’t leave you.”

“I can go to the hospital myself.”

Ladybug had to laugh at that. “You can barely stand.”

As if to try and prove her wrong, Cat moved, attempting to stand. He put pressure on the ground with one of his arms and immediately pulled back, hissing in pain. He fell back into Ladybug, cradling one arm with the other. He racked his brain for another excuse. “You used Lucky Charm. Your transformation…”

The whole ordeal was painful to watch. Ladybug _hated_ seeing Cat so vulnerable. He was hurt and yet he _still_ wanted to respect Ladybug’s ‘let’s-keep-this-a-secret-between-us’ offer. That didn’t matter anymore if it meant he’d survive this. “I don’t care about that anymore.” She said, shaking her head at him.

“I’ll k-keep my eyes closed. I-I p-promise… I won’t look.” He shut his eyes to prove his point.

“Okay, just hold on.”

They were silent as Ladybug stood and started running, her feet pounding the ground as lightly as possible so she wouldn’t put Cat in any more pain. She was sure one of his arms was broken. At some point, snow started to fall, making the pavement slick. Ladybug had to be more careful with each footfall. The harsh warning beep of Cat’s ring sliced through the quiet.

“I won’t look. I promise.” Ladybug said, keeping her eyes trained forward on the road ahead of her.

“I don’t care if you see.” His voice was a little steadier, but still barely above a whisper.

Ladybug didn’t respond, but when the green flash erupted, releasing Cat’s transformation, she couldn’t help the chuckle that passed her lips.

Cat stiffened. “You know me, then?”

“Save your energy, silly cat. We’re almost there.” Ladybug smiled as she saw the lights from the hospital nearing. Instead of running straight through the doors, she snuck back around the side of the building and released her transformation. “We’re here, Cat.” She said. He didn’t respond.

 

***

 

There was something wrong with his arm.

Adrien’s first thought when he woke up in a haze: ‘ _My arm hurts.’_ His eyes drifted open and then shut automatically at the sight of unbelievably blinding lights. ‘ _Where am I?’_ He couldn’t remember anything. His arm seemed to have its own pulse, the pain intensifying and then shrinking steadily and constantly.

“Adrien Agreste.”

 The voice alerted him to his surroundings. He forced his eyes open despite the light and lifted his head slightly. He’d heard Ladybug. Ladybug was here. Ladybug _knew who he was._ A small smile appeared on his lips as the memory surged back. Ladybug knew. She finally knew. And he still didn’t know who _she_ was.

“Hit by a car that was sliding on an ice patch.”

She seemed to be talking to someone. Someone that was asking about him. Maybe a nurse?

His head fell back on whatever he was laying on. The small effort took his remaining strength right out of him and soon, everything turned to black again.

 

The pain wasn’t completely gone. His arm was more numb now, but the dull ache remained, stretching from the tips of his fingers to about his shoulder on his left arm. He opened his eyes and glanced around the room. His left arm was mostly covered from wrist to elbow in a white cast. The room was dimmed. Half of the lights had been turned off. The whole room was a bright white, even in the dimness. Machines on either side of him beeped and hummed. He turned his head to the window. The sky was dark and heavily falling snowflakes gathered on the edges of the glass and wood. He heard a small sound, directing his attention to his right, where he noticed the warm pressure of someone holding his hand. A head with slightly disheveled blue-black hair in loose twin ponytails laid face down on the bed beside him. She was sitting in a chair facing the bed, her hand reaching up on the mattress and was holding his hand quite tightly. One name emerged from his thoughts: ‘ _Ladybug.’_

He moved his hand slightly, causing the girl’s head to shoot up to meet his face. No, it was Marinette. It couldn’t have been Ladybug anyway, she had better things to do than visit him, right? But, then, how did Marinette know he was here? Did Natalie tell her? Or Nino? At the sight of Marinette’s face, he wasn’t sure why he even thought she was Ladybug in the first place.

“Adrien.” She whispered, her voice breaking as tears started to fill her eyes.

_No, no, no, why was she crying, had he made her cry?_

Adrien was stunned, unable to move as Marinette’s eyes closed, a small sob shaking through her.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He said, disconnecting their hands so he could brush his thumb against her cheek to wipe away her tears.

She reached up to keep his hand pressed against her cheek. She inhaled sharply. “I thought… I thought I lost you.”

Adrien stiffened. He’d never seen Marinette like this- breaking down and yet relieved at the same time. He missed her bubbly aura and warm smile. He wanted his Mari back. “Hey, look at me. I’m here, see?”

Her sapphire eyes opened, shining from still-flowing tears.

“How did you know I was here?”

She paused. The only sound in the room was shallow breathing and the humming of machinery. Finally, she spoke. “You’re so dense.” A chuckle bubbled past her lips between sniffles. “I carried you here.”

_She carried him here._ But that wasn’t true. He’d come here with-

Oh.

_Oh._

His eyes widened as every door of his mind slammed open and the gears turned at lightning speed. He couldn’t believe he didn’t see it earlier. Their eyes, shining and deep like clear water, were the same eyes. The way they’d both seem to always know when something was bothering him, when the mood suddenly changed. They said the same things. They considered his feelings and made him feel at home. They were both _home._ Marinette’s sweetness and warmth suddenly collided with Ladybug’s confidence and strength as he came to realize that _they were the same person._ His _new friend_ and his _best friend._

He cracked a smile. “Are you _kitten_ me?”

Her smile widened to match his, despite her shaking head and rolling eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Me too.” He suddenly stiffened, remembering their situation. “What about the akuma? What time is it? What _day_ is it?”

She laughed again. “Taken care of. 9 pm. Christmas Eve.”

His face softened as he took her hand again. “You should be with your family.”

Her thumb darted out from his grasp and started tracing circles around his knuckles. “They’re actually on their way here right now. So are Alya and Nino.”

“But Nino’s out of town.”

“He came back. I called him a few hours ago and he just couldn’t leave you here by yourself. We’re all going to celebrate Christmas with you.”

“Here?”

She nodded.

“You’re too kind to me sometimes.”

“Do you want me to _leave_?”

At that threat, Adrien gripped her hand even tighter and pulled her to him. “Nooo…” he whined.

She laughed and stood from her chair, leaning over him on the bed. She wrapped her arms around his waist, careful to avoid his cast. His free arm went around her torso, his hand resting on her upper back. Their awkward hug lasted for more than a minute, both teens relaxing against each other. Marinette’s shaky breath slowed. Her head rested in the space between Adrien’s neck and shoulder, her nose brushing against his collarbone.

Adrien breathed her in. The scent of vanilla and cinnamon wafted from her clothes and a more flowery lavender from her clothes and hair. He could get used to this. Being with Marinette. After all, he’d known her as Ladybug for two years. He’d known Marinette for just as long. He’d always liked Marinette. And he’d loved Ladybug. Knowing that they were the same person made everything easier for some reason Adrien couldn’t figure out. They didn’t have to keep anything from each other anymore. They were both open books.

One thought came to mind as he felt Marinette smile against his shoulder: _This was the start of a beautiful friendship._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! Thank you to anyone who commented/left kudos/bookmarked. You guys give me life <3 This chapter was very quickly edited and written mostly in the middle of the night, so please let me know if you see any glaring errors. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this! This particular fic is finished, but if motivation strikes me, I may write some sort of sequel. 
> 
> Follow me on tumblr! Personal blog: littlegraycat3.tumblr.com / Anime blog: solidscript-mage.tumblr.com


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